Ironville House

Ironville House

A former doctor's house with attached surgery, dating from the mid-19th century, architect unknown. The building is constructed primarily from randomly laid slag lump sourced from the nearby ironworks, with window dressings, quoins, sill bands, eaves cornice and chimney stacks picked out in contrasting red brick. The pitched roof is covered in slate.

The plan comprises a double pile central range with cross wings at each end, flush with the main façade but projecting to the rear. The south wing and central range are two storeys high, while the north wing rises to an attic storey. Each section is served by tall chimney stacks.

The main façade faces east. The principal entrance to the house is located in the south wing, comprising a panelled door with a semi-circular plain fanlight recessed into a slightly projecting brick porch in contrasting brick, which features a decorative cornice and flat roof. To the left of the porch is a single four-pane sash window, with three further identical windows to the right. All window surrounds are in red brick with segmental shallow arched heads. A plain round-headed panelled door provides access to the north wing and the former waiting room to the doctor's surgery. The first and second floor windows are smaller four-pane sashes, with a narrow two-pane sash positioned above the porch. Red brick sill bands mark the storeys across the façade. A centrally placed circular opening appears in the gable of the south wing.

The interior comprises a hall with main reception rooms opening off either side. An archway leads to an inner hall where the principal staircase rises to the rear of the central range. The staircase features two flights with wooden turned balusters and is lit by three skylights set into a panelled surround. Original six and four panelled doors, skirting boards and cornices survive in many rooms, and original fireplaces with cast-iron register grates remain in some bedrooms. The north wing contains service rooms and the former doctor's surgery and waiting room; the surgery has been converted into a kitchen but retains its original architectural joinery. A large brick vaulted cellar and water cistern lie beneath the property.

To the north, a gateway with iron gates attached to chamfered stone piers provides access to the rear. Two similar but smaller sets of gate piers are positioned along the front, serving the main entrance and surgery entrance doors. The property is partly bounded by a wall built of iron slag lump in the same manner as the house, topped with brick coping.

Ironville House stands in the centre of Ironville, a model village constructed by the owners of Butterley Iron Works between 1834 and 1863. The village was renowned for its spacious houses, gardens and range of facilities, including the doctor's surgery attached to this house. The building survives largely unaltered and is significant as a rare example of a substantial house built from slag lump sourced from the iron furnaces, reflecting the social and historical importance of this purpose-built workers' village.